COVID-19 vaccines went into record arms this week in the arms of Californians, a promising acceleration that is taking place, even though officials are still being warned in the near future about limited supplies and the state is stubbornly lagging behind many others in terms of how widely the doses are are distributed.
The data compiled by The Times has seen the five highest one-day totals in terms of shots fired around the world over the past five days. During that period alone, nearly 2 million doses were administered worldwide – including 344,489 on Thursday alone.
However, the recent dumping of vaccinations contradicts the biggest challenge that will stimulate the race to vaccinate as many Californians as quickly as possible, and at least in the immediate future: a shortage of supplies.
“We do not have enough vaccines. I can double the capacity today if you get the vaccines for me, ‘Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday during an interview with Dr. Howard Koh, a professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
These disruptions in the vaccine stream continue, even as California expands the pool of eligible residents.
Where do we stand with vaccinations?
According to Gavin Newsom, California received 1.7 million vaccine doses last week. That award has grown slightly to 1.75 million this week and is expected to reach 1.8 million next week.
Although growing slightly, the size delivery is probably not sufficient for the state to maintain the vaccination rate seen in recent days.
To date, nearly 13.8 million shots have been fired across the country – about 78% of the total supply delivered to local public health departments and medical providers, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Two of the vaccines approved for use in the United States – one from Pfizer-BioNTech and the other from Moderna – require two doses, which are administered weeks apart. The third, from Johnson & Johnson, only needs one.
How does it compare nationally?
To date, 23.5% of California residents have received at least one vaccine dose – a share that ranks 33rd out of all states and U.S. territories, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By comparison, 31.4% of New Mexico’s population received at least one shot, as did 29.6% of Alaska’s and 29% of South Dakota’s residents.
California measures better compared to more populous states. As of CD, 24.3% of residents received one shot in Pennsylvania, 24.2% in New York, 22.2% in Florida and 20.9% in Texas.
Nationwide, 23.3% of Americans received at least one dose and according to the CDC, 12.6% of the country’s total population was fully vaccinated.
About 11.8% of all California residents are fully vaccinated.
California is a little ahead of the national curve when it comes to vaccinating older residents. About 71.9% of residents aged 65 and older received at least one dose, according to the CDC, compared to the nationwide figure of 67.1%.
What does the pipeline look like?
Officials have expressed optimism that the supply of vaccines will grow in the coming weeks, especially as the transport of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been disrupted by production issues, is starting to arrive regularly.
“You heard it from the president himself. You have heard from the CEOs responsible for the manufacture of these vaccines that we will be in a completely different place in six or so weeks, as we are seeing a significant increase in the supply offered, ‘Newsom said on Tuesday during a briefing said.
President Biden said last week that restrictions on who can make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment would be lifted nationwide on May 1, as supply is expected to be sufficient to meet demand.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the COVID-19 task force, issued a formal order to that effect.
“While we are taking steps to extend vaccine admissions before May 1, we continue to emphasize the importance of prioritizing vaccinations for higher-risk populations,” he said during a briefing on Wednesday.
Who is eligible now?
Nearly half of all California residents – including adults 65 and older, health workers, educators, people locked up or living in homeless shelters, essential workers such as those in the food or emergency services, public transportation and caregivers, and residents 16 and older with disabilities or underlying health conditions – eligible for the vaccine.
The list is not exhaustive, as the state still offers specifications for those who qualify under the various categories.
How do you get the vaccine?
Californians with disabilities or qualifying underlying health conditions do not need to provide documentation of their condition to join the vaccination style. Instead, everyone will be expected to testify that they meet the criteria.
This grant removes confusion about how high-risk people can qualify. Lawyers have long been pushing for a process that will not create unnecessary barriers, especially for those who are less mobile or intellectually disabled.
The guidelines essentially place trust on residents to accurately reflect their qualifications. However, some officials have expressed concern that the lenient rules may be ripe for abuse by those who want to cut back.
These worries do not come from the air. Throughout the implementation, some people falsified documents and misused access codes intended for high-risk communities to try to wipe shots before their turn.
Officials are urging residents to work with their healthcare providers to get vaccinations.
“First check with your regular healthcare provider if there are vaccines and available appointments. “Healthcare providers who have vaccines can also start reaching out as a patient with a significant high-risk medical condition or disability that the provider knows, to plan your vaccination with the vaccine,” the state said.
Other options include local pharmacies, local health departments, community pop-up clinics or using the My Turn website. Access details can be found:
- Online at myturn.ca.gov. The MyTurn website is accessible to people with disabilities and in eight languages: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese.
- Or call the COVID-19 hotline at (833) 422-4255 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.